AKUMAL, MEXICO - On a windy, rainy morning, we jump into a small boat and head out for a day of diving. The choppy sea creates huge waves and our tiny craft is jostled about like a cork.
I scan the boat and the angry conditions are creating angst among my fellow divers. All, that is, except the youngest diver in the boat, 12-year-old Daniel Greenop.
It’s Daniel’s birthday and he’s celebrating the occasion by attempting to gain his “junior advanced open diver” certificate on this most unpleasant day.
Daniel’s father, Bob, who introduced his son to diving in their backyard pool four years earlier, tells me he’s returning to diving after taking a few years off.
“I stopped diving after Daniel was born — there were more important things to think about back then,” says Bob, an avid participant of the sport before Daniel arrived.
“I sold all my equipment because I didn’t think I would ever dive again. But when we had a pool installed in our backyard and saw how easily Daniel (then 8) took to water, well, I started to get excited about diving all over again.”
Bob went out and bought Daniel a small mask and snorkel and quickly realized his son was a “natural — a real water bug.” Daniel took to diving like a fish takes to water.
“Daniel is very relaxed underwater and started talking about taking scuba diving lessons soon after we built the pool,” remembers Bob.
That summer, Bob planned a trip to Tobermory, ON, often referred to as the Mecca for Canadian divers thanks to its shipwrecked-rich waters, and showed his son how to breathe under water using a regulator.
After some shallow dives, Daniel became emotionally attached to the sport — by 11 he was already doing some open-water dives in Mexico. This past April, Daniel successfully completed his “advance” course and was my “dive buddy” when we teamed up during our recent “dive master” exams.
I can’t remember what I was doing at 12, but it sure wasn’t diving.
In fact, most people don’t learn to dive until later in life — and that, according to experts, is a shame, because kids are little sponges who soak up instruction easily and for the most part are without fear.
So, at what age should you introduce your child to the delights living underwater?
Well, according to open water dive instructor Nicolas Lakoff, a number of factors play into that dec
ision.
Before letting their kids enroll in a dive class, parents should determine if the child is physically fit, feels comfortable in the water, and the child should be old enough to grasp the safety rules, says Lakoff.
But most importantly, says Lakoff, “you have to make diving fun for the kids.”
That’s why the instructor advices to play “games in the water — anything that promotes buoyancy control.”
Also, says Lakoff, “make the experience educational — make sure your dive briefings include lots of info on the sea life they are going to see, especially macro stuff you can show them in the shallows.”
“You have to make kids very comfortable with the scuba gear, so make sure the equipment fits them correctly,” says the instructor. “I once had a kid who lost his weight belt during a dive because he hadn’t tightened it properly, but he was such a pro and recovered the belt, didn’t panic, and he was able to put it back on with a little help from us.
“You also have to be very patient and go slow because kids can have a meltdown very rapidly and it’s hard to recover from that,” he says. “Choose dive sites that are appropriate for their abilities. Avoid any dive sites that are too challenging or have strong currents,” Lakoff advices.
How young can you start youngsters on the road to diving?
The minimum age requirement to gain a junior open-water diver certificate from PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) is 10, but introducing children to diving at a younger age will make them more comfortable under water.
However, not all kids can handle the stress of the underwater environment or the theory studies required in a diving course, so make sure you don’t push your child into the sport.
Just remember, diving should be child’s play.